Welcome!

Thanks for checking out my blog! I've decided to run 12 races in 2012 to raise money for Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) research and to promote the bone marrow registry.

DBA is a very rare bone marrow disorder. People with DBA produce very little or no red blood cells. DBA patients are typically diagnosed within their first year of life. The majority of DBA patients require transfusions or corticosteroid medication. Some have bone marrow/ stem cell transplants.

My sister, Lizzie, was diagnosed at 6 weeks old and it is for her that I run.

Monday, April 2, 2012

And so it starts...

As most of you know I have spent my career fundraising for very important causes. I love what I do. I love who I work with and I love the missions I support. But, as worthy as they may be none of them directly impact the reason I got into this field in the first place, my sister Lizzie. It is for that reason I am embarking on 12 races in 2012 to raise funds for Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) research and promote the bone marrow registry.

The facts are these- Lizzie has 10% working bone marrow. Lizzie continues to develop antibodies from her years of being transfusion dependent. These antibodies decrease the pool of blood donors available to her. Lizzie does NOT have a bone marrow match. Lizzie is half Mexican, half German which makes it harder to find a match. Lizzie needs a match or a cure. WE NEED YOUR HELP.

Now, I don't want to scare anyone. We aren't frantic and we continue to monitor Lizzie and keep a close eye on everything. She is currently doing well. But we would be remiss to not plan for the future and make sure that we are doing everything we can to be prepared for anything. More than that, thousands of other people would benefit from furthering DBA and marrow failure research and hundreds of thousands of people will benefit from adding new donors to the bone marrow registry.

Please check back frequently as I update you on my 12 races in 2012 (half marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks, maybe another marathon), share stories about Lizzie, talk about ways you can get involved and show that with every step and every mile I plan to literally run for her life.

Join me, donate money, donate blood and/or sign up be a bone marrow donor. Together we can be the difference.